General Knud Bartels

Chairman of the Military Committee2012

As of 1 January 2012 General Bartels was appointed Chairman of NATO Military Committee.

From 2009 to 2011 General Knud Bartels served as Chief of Defence Denmark, the highest ranking officer in the Danish Armed Forces and the principal military adviser to the Danish government.

Prior to assuming command as Chief of Defence, General Bartels served as Denmark's Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee and the EU Military Committee from 2006 to 2009.

General Bartels enrolled as a soldier in 1972, and to a large extent soldiering has remained at the core of his career. His rise through the ranks from junior to general officer is dominated by operational duty at home and in missions, ranging from company to division commander, interrupted only by courses at Ecole Supérieure de Guerre in Paris and US Army War College in Carlisle. Furthermore, he has held postings as instructor at both the Army Combat School and the Royal Danish Defence College, including an appointment as Director Army Command and General Staff Course.

In addition, General Bartels has held his share of positions in both national and international joint staffs, including Assistant Chief of Staff Plans, Defence Command Denmark, and Director for Operations, NATO's International Military Staff in Brussels.

General Bartels is married to Inge and in their marriage they have brought together four adult children; two sons and two daughters – and they have their home in Brussels. The General has an interest in history, in particular military history, and he also enjoys art and music as well as old sports cars.